fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

Dinner time rolled around for the group eating tonight had arrived. They'd become fairly self-reliant in the kitchen now, only consulting with Rogue when they were trying something new or to double check something. However, their experimenting had depleted the pantry far quicker than it should have been. There was plenty of food to get them to Atlantis, but still, while encouraging a balance of meat versus vegetables and so on was good, the amount of food per sitting was perhaps best to be scaled back. For example instead of having four side dishes, only one or two.

Fortunately the fridge they had had only ingredients within it that needed to be kept chilled. Leftovers were consumed pretty much right away by the "breakfast" shift, so there hadn't been any waste of such yet.

The group had already begun working on the soup and bread bowls for the night's meal when Todd and the queen arrived.

She stood to the side and out of the way while her crew worked like a well-oiled machine getting the meal together, observing the techniques they used to undoubtedly question Todd or Rogue later about. Todd joined them as the last couple weeks he'd had little practice in the kitchen.

Rogue noted just how quickly they were going through their food stores and made a mental note to speak to each shift about their menus for the future. Now that they'd had a bit of time to experiment and really enjoy themselves, a bit of restraint in the process wouldn't hurt. If anything, it could be seen as an extra level of challenge to their regular preparations.

When Todd joined in with the others for the cooking, Rogue took leave of her station, washing her hands quickly to rid them of the residue from the onions she'd been helping chop for the soup before moving off to the side near the queen, bowing her head in respect as she did. It was nice to just stand back and watch the others work for a bit, see the way they interacted with each other seamlessly in the kitchen. Everyone knew what needed to be done and they did it with enjoyment, or at least without complaint.

A limitation on how many and what ingredients would be a challenge. And Wraith loved puzzles.

The first time they'd chopped onions, the wraith thought they were strange. Instead of making them tear up like humans did, it made them cough, like getting a hair stuck in the back of the mouth. Thus they had their doubts when Rogue had them add them to the meal. After being cooked however they found they were quite delicious in both flavor and texture and-like the tears-the coughing didn't return. Now they just muscled through it and held their breath until the effects wore off, and as Wraith could hold their breath longer than humans and they were quite good at chopping and dicing by now, it was a cinch.

The queen acknowledged her with a slight nod before returning her gaze upon her crew. A quiet fell over them as the group worked. "My commander says you chose a name for me" he said after a moment, and looked to Rogue again. "Victoria. A human queen on your home world. Tell me, what was her reign like?"

Rogue had actually been pretty terrified when the wraith had first dealt with onions and had their coughing fits. She'd worried that they might have some sort of allergy to the vegetable, some adverse reaction completely unique to their species, so it had been a complete relief when it turned out to be nothing serious. That worry had stayed as they tried new things that were foreign to the wraith, but so far nothing else had garnered such results.

"She was a young queen, barely considered an adult when she took the throne," she told the equally young queen beside her. "Her reign was the longest of all the queens of her empire, which spread across much of the planet and which she helped to grow and stabilize. Her time on the throne is referred to as the Victorian Era, and it's known for being one of the most peaceful and prosperous times in the history of her nation, as well as being a period of rapid growth in the economy and population."

Pausing for a moment, Rogue tucked her hair behind her ears in that nervous way she had, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious about her choice. "It's a strong name for people from Earth," she added quietly. "It's... refined and elegant, but it also gives the impression of someone powerful who shouldn't be messed with."

The queen listened to the explanation, perhaps trying to pry out any detection of lie to the tale. But it seemed genuine, and unlikely something the human would make up just to try and impress her.

"Humans eventually die." he stated. "How did she meet her end? Assassinated? Poison? Or merely her body failing her?" Wraith, for the most part, lived impossibly long lives, even taking the time spent in hibernation out of the equation. So any end for them was unnatural.

Still, it'd be nice to know how her name's predecessor had passed. In battle was the best way to die, but from what little she knew of human hierarchy, those of great position or wealth rarely put their own lives on the line for any reason.

It was true, humans had an incredibly short lifespan when compared to wraith. Thinking of Todd's age was mindboggling at times for Rogue, who couldn't even begin to comprehend what living that long would be like.

"She died of old age, her body failing her when she was 81 years old," she explained, using the phrasing the queen had used. "For that era, she lived a very long life. She outlived her husband by forty years, and her nine children married into the major royal houses of Europe, furthering her legacy."

Rogue watched the queen, trying to guess what she might be thinking and failing miserably. "If the name isn't to your liking, I can come up with other suggestions," she offered almost hesitantly. "Or I can leave it alone entirely."

The queen seemed satisfied with such an end to a reign. Sixty was about the average lifespan of a human not fed upon in Pegasus, a little longer if they took care of themselves, but eighty-one was quite a feat. Only worshipers lived so long and longer.

Outliving one's commander was usual, their rank carried a lot of power behind it with the added bonus of serving the queen directly. However, losing the current commander would mean a heavy loss. He was old for a male and had carried his rank for almost as long. His experience, patience, and strength had aided her much already. Still, every commander had his time, and she suspected as soon as they were in a good position regarding the war and the gene therapy, his rank would be challenged by someone more capable than the little underling.

She wondered if this partial-human would remain here should he die. How far did her loyalty extend? Just to him or to the crew...and to she, the queen? If the latter, she'd have to convince Rogue to remain on Atlantis. Commander deaths were not quick, very unpleasant, and humans were frail in the head. His demise might break her and render her useless.

"It is a good name. I will continue to consider it," she said. While the opinion of a female was higher than a male in wraith society, even outside species, she wanted to see what Colonel Sheppard had to say. He named three of the crew after all, best keep all options open.

Well, at least she hadn't offended her with the suggestion. That was the most she could have realistically hoped for without knowing more of this queen's personality. And she could understand the need to really think it over - whatever name she decided upon, the queen would be stuck with it for the duration of her dealings with humans, which might be a very long time. It was smart to take the time and weigh her options.

Nodding her understanding, Rogue was quiet for just a moment before carefully saying, "Thank you again for allowing me to stay. I know there were many factors in the decision, and I apologize if it seems repetitive or silly of me to bring it up again, but I truly am grateful. And if there is any way that I can be of assistance to you, in your dealings with Atlantis or otherwise, please do let me know."

She'd tried to phrase it in a way that didn't make it seem like she thought the queen needed help, but more simply offering her services. Rogue was an asset in the queen's arsenal, she just wanted to be sure the queen knew that and made use of her when possible. Not only to potentially make things easier, but also to ensure the success of all they were working toward.

She nodded, "I will keep that in mind." she said.

The crew finished making dinner and sat down, a spot at the table as usual left open for Rogue. The queen meanwhile left the kitchens, apparently having learned what she could for now.

Talk around the table mostly consisted of what everyone's jobs were to be between now and when they arrived in Atlantis. Also the fact that their queen would be going into hibernation so soon.

"She won't be gone." Todd pointed out "Just sleeping, and its for the best for both her and what awaits her on Atlantis."

"She's really going to be the first queen to try the serum?" asked one.

"Unfortunately she's the youngest in the alliance, which puts the choice out of our hands." Todd answered.

"Why not allow the queens to continue to feed on humans?" asked another.

"A variety of reasons. Mainly those on Atlantis would prefer not to have any more human casualties." the commander answered. "The fact that we fed Genii to her upon her arrival is enough. For another, any offspring produced would still likely need to take the serum at maturity which would mean we'd be dependent on the drug. The point of the gene therapy is to eliminate all need for reliance on humans and the drug itself."

He pushed his dish away and continued to speak.

"Our culture revolves primarily around feeding, culling, and fighting. But with the serum, we'll be able to explore, learn and make gains to our culture beyond anything we and our ancestors ever thought of. We'll have the time and resources to devote to anything and everything."

The others looked at one another around the table, apparently not having really considered the fact that once the alliance was on top and the need to fight for culling territory was no longer a problem, they'd need to find something else to do.

Rogue worried for the young queen and how her body might react to the gene therapy. There really was no telling what the side effects might be or if the therapy would even work, with all the physiological differences between males and females in their species. If anything happened to the queen, it would be a tremendous loss for the hive and the alliance as a whole. But as Todd pointed out, it had to be done for their species to evolve the way they were hoping.

With the conversation as it was, she decided to chime in. "There's really no end to the possibilities of what you could accomplish with this change" she commented. "Scientific advancements, exploring planets in ways you never have before, opening up channels for trade and commerce. In just a few hundred years, maybe even just a few decades your culture and way of life could be completely different from what it is now. You could create your own cities like Atlantis using Wraith technology, either based on planets or out in space. And with time and innovation, there's no telling what strides you could make in farming and agriculture."

She wondered about getting information on farming techniques and other such pursuits while on Atlantis. Todd was the only one who could read English as far as she knew, but if she worked on her Wraith she might be able to do some rough translations of things. It would give her something to do, and she thought it might prove rather useful later on down the line.

Discussion opened up around the table at the prospect of such possibilities, some vocal, a lot of it mental though.

Thus far, their efforts to raise livestock and grow food had been tedious and exhausting, and while, yes, the drones would eventually alleviate most of that, it would still pretty much set them back technology-wise to remain at such primitive levels. However, their ancestors had created the beaming technology that culled humans, they'd find a way to come up with just as efficient means of harvesting crops in good time.

As plates were scraped clean, the wraith began to clean up. They all had duties to get back to or to take their rest period.

Todd left Rogue to see what the queen was up to. They spoke for a long time, touching on the subject talked about at dinner as well as names again before she finally let him go take his rest. He returned to his quarters some time later.

Edited 2016-02-12 08:21 (UTC)

Listening to the parts of the discussion that were shared aloud, Rogue couldn't help but be pleased that they seemed to be embracing the idea of change more than anything. Much of the credit for their outlook could likely be attributed to Todd, with the way he'd led the hive by thinking outside the box and doing what was necessary even if that meant doing something new and different.

After dinner, Rogue returned to Todd's room and hauled out one of the books she'd been working on reading, along with the key that Todd had written out for her. It seemed like years had passed since then. Settling down at the desk, she spent a long while poring over the strange characters that were at least passably familiar to her now, and occasionally she would make a note on the edge of the key about something that she didn't understand, hoping to ask Todd or one of the others about it later.

Since she didn't know when or if to expect Todd back that night, she just continued working for as long as she could before her eyes tired along with the rest of her. It was like the old days of teaching at the mansion, staying up late to grade papers until her eyes were so fuzzy that she couldn't see straight. She'd rest her eyes for just a moment, she decided, laying her head on her arm on the desk, but just a moment became a long while as she fell fully into sleep. She didn't so much as twitch when he entered the room, she was so accustomed to the eerie sound of the door opening now.

He spotted her at the desk and contemplated a long while about moving her or not. Deciding it best she do move to avoid waking up with a kink in the neck, he gave her shoulder a light shake until she woke enough to stand and move to the bed.

Throwing a blanket over her when she settled down, Todd returned to the desk to look over her work. Sitting, he wrote answers to her questions in the best English he could. Reading and understanding? No problem, but Rogue's home world lingo was tough to write, most of the letters bulbous compared to the thin lines that was Wraith.

When he finally finished, he joined her in bed for some rest.

Rogue didn't even realize what was going on when Todd woke her, just recognizing that she was being prompted to get up from the desk and that the idea of sleeping on the bed sounded much better than at a right angle. Curling up with the blanket he tossed over her, she didn't stir until he joined her, and then all she did was turn over and move closer to him in her sleep.

She woke before he did, slowly emerging from her dreamless sleep, blinking heavy eyes open to take in the blue glow from hyperspace that washed over his sleeping form. There wasn't anywhere to be just yet, and she didn't know how much longer he'd be able to rest before something would call him away, so she just lay there beside him, letting him sleep and enjoying the moment of peace.

He managed to sleep for a little while longer before Kenny butted in and woke him. At least he could take comfort in the fact that of all the things his second could be doing to annoy or irritate him, his wake up calls were the most tame.

Opening his eyes Todd looked over at Rogue. "How long have you been awake?" he asked, unraveling the blankets from himself and getting up. He hadn't undressed before getting into bed.

Frowning a little when he woke up sooner than she'd hoped, she propped herself up on an elbow as he left the bed. She'd liked him watching him sleep.

"Not very long," she answered with a small smile. "I didn't want to wake you - it seems like someone's always interrupting your sleep. Who is it this time?" She was betting on the queen or Kenny.

"Kenny" he confirmed, running his fingers through his hair and making himself look presentable.

"I'm sure he'll keep such interruptions to a minimum once the queen is in hibernation. I get the feeling he wants me by her side at all times and doing little else." The queen didn't want him with her all the time anyway, she had to get to know the rest of the crew on her own.

"Want me to send Cody in awhile?" he asked.

Oh, Kenny. He was such a by-the-book guy, but from what Todd said he was a good second, and that's what really mattered. He needed a strong supportive crew, and so did the queen. That they were all a little unorthodox (save Kenny) might just guarantee their longevity.

Nodding, she said, "Yes, thank you. I won't keep him as long today, just a few rounds to make sure I remember what we covered yesterday. I don't want him to feel put out by having to help me."

Todd nodded and then gestured to the desk. "I answered your questions last night after moving you." he said and, after bidding her good day, left to see what crisis his second wanted him for.

Nothing dramatic as he thought, mostly the queen was hanging around the bridge a lot asking questions and Kenny thought he, the commander, was better suited to answer them.

After a little over an hour, he sent Cody to escort Rogue, while he and the queen headed for the hibernation chambers. They spoke for some time, just the two of them. A few repeated conversations, but he was patient about it. Eventually, when they'd run out of essential and immediate things to discuss, she stepped in, and allowed the hive to put her to sleep. He programmed the pod to open at their projected time of arrival to Atlantis, but he had still assured her that when she woke, he'd be there.

He went about his duties for the rest of the day after that, letting his crew know shortly after leaving the chambers that the queen was asleep.

Cody paused in his walk with Rogue. "The queen rests." he said

Rogue spent the time between Todd leaving and Cody arriving looking over the answers Todd had provided, reviewing them with what she'd read the night before and becoming a little pleased with herself for the progress she was making. There was still a long way to go, but it was a pretty good start.

As she'd promised, she didn't plan to keep Cody occupied for longer than she had to, figuring he'd probably rather be spending his free time in a number of other places than with her. Not that she thought he hated being around her or anything, but even with their question and answer sessions, she had to be pretty boring compared to time sparring in the arena or the like.

When he paused, Rogue looked at him expectantly, then nodded slightly at his explanation. "That's good," she commented quietly, her expression distant. "It's better for her, easier. I've heard about how difficult hunger can be for wraith." The young queen would have enough to deal with on Atlantis as it was.

"The commander said hunger burns like fire within you. I've been fortunate enough not to feel more than a couple weeks at most of starvation compared to most others on board." Cody answered.

Todd looked at his queen through the orange membrane of the pod for awhile. So much had been accomplished since they left Atlantis. But they still had such a long way to go. Over the next few days, while they traveled in hyperspace, he'd be addressing the crew, discussing what they hoped to do during the time they were on Atlantis. And addressing the possibility they could lose a queen to the serum in a worst case scenario.

They wouldn't like it, but it had to be done. The queen had no say in this matter, they had to make the serum work for the female wraith too if they wished to cut off all dependability on humans.

But then again, this gave him an idea...

Cody was walking Rogue back to the commander's quarters when he stopped again, listening to the commander broadcast his plan.

When Rogue looked to him, hoping for him to...translate, he did so.

"There's a chance the queen could be killed when given the serum. In return for this risk, he's going to propose to Atlantis that they give our hive some advantages to help in our war with the others."

Rogue was a little surprised for there to be another 'broadcast' so soon after the first, and the topic was... depressing. But practical. It made sense to make the most of the situation presented, to use whatever opportunity they could when she'd seen firsthand how reluctant Atlantis (particularly Woolsey) tended to be when assisting the wraith. It was very much Todd's style to keep a few cards up his sleeve, just in case.

"It's a good plan," she remarked with a small, grim smile. "I just hope it doesn't come to that. We need the queen just as much if not more than a few tricks to help with the war."

We. She might not have the same connection to the queen that the wraith did, but Rogue's loyalty was with her, and she'd been aware for quite some time just what having a queen meant to the hive as a whole. But beyond that, she liked this queen, and she seemed to like Rogue. While some part of her still worried about the future, she was slowly becoming more assured of the queen's opinion of her with every interaction.

When they reached Todd's quarters, she sent Cody off with her thanks for walking with her again, and once he'd gone on his way she went on hers, retracing the steps they'd just taken. A few laps of the now familiar path and then she'd return to her studies, the books and notes waiting for her review and translation.

Todd made his way back to his quarters, which was slow going as he was mostly caught up with communicating with his crew about all this.

Kenny thought it was a wonderful idea, but highly doubted Atlantis would accept it. Todd countered that they'd see reason when they realized that every time they left the city, the queen would have to feed. And not just her, but the rest of the queens in the alliance as well. Every two weeks or so that went by, another several humans lives died because there was no gene therapy for them. While the death of the queen on this hive would be another discouraging and heavy blow, at least they'd get something out of it.

The commander stopped by the bridge, needing them to change course a bit to a planet with a Stargate. They really weren't expected for another couple months, but the arrival of the queen had accelerated their next visit. So it was better to let them know they were coming otherwise they might get blown from the sky. Also he could find out what the status of the drones were, and general news from the Ancient City.

He, the queen, and Rogue could technically just find a gate and go through and let the hive meet them there, but the extra week or so would be a nice calm down time after the excitement that the queen had brought. And he could go over with his heads of staff about what benefits the hive should get in return for testing the gene therapy on her.

In the end, Todd didn't see Rogue until dinner time.

Rogue didn't get much work done when she did finally return to Todd's quarters. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking over that dark possibility that the queen wouldn't survive the gene therapy and how that would change things, not only for Todd but for the entire crew. What a blow it would be to gain a queen and lose her in such a short period. And they couldn't hope for the opportunity to find another queen for quite some time, since the other prospective female had gotten herself killed.

Worries about what would happen on Atlantis plagued her as well. Now that she had a decent amount of control over her mutation, would their treatment of her change any? Would some of them, like Sheppard and his team, be more insistent that she consider the possibility of staying on Atlantis instead of continuing to live on and travel with Todd's hive ship? She wasn't sure how much more she could say about her reasons for preferring wraith over human company without outright offending anyone, and that wasn't what she wanted. But none of them had seen the world she'd come from, or knew what it was like to be hunted by your own species for being different. That was the sort of situation they read about in history books, but none of them had lived it.

By the time dinner rolled around, she was just tired and not much use at all in the kitchen. She sat at the table and listened to the group work in perfect synchronicity, the sounds of the kitchen comforting as she waited for them to have need of her or for the meal to be finished, whichever came first.

Dinner tonight was a vegetable stew to use up the wilting leeks and a few sprouting potatoes. Keeping vegetables and fruits long term on board was going to be a challenge. They'll have to learn to freeze and store for later in order to survive the weeks to months away from the cultivation planet. Another reason to have a slightly faster ship, less chance of supplies going bad.

Todd came in just as they were about to ladle out portions to everyone and they sat in quiet around the table. While the queen was certainly on board, her presence in a room was definitely a source of excitement for the wraith. Now the atmosphere was like a close friend was gravely sick.

The commander would not see his crew spread this doom and gloom attitude, so he started conversation with one of the engineers about the hive and slowly the others chimed in.

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